Imagineering A Better Tomorrow … Land

Most sensational, Muppetational

There are a lot of reports and a lot of rumors flying around about the future of Disney World’s third gate, Hollywood Studios. Here’s just one recent report from The Disney Blog. Star Wars Land, Cars Land, who can keep up with it all?

But I’m not here to give my opinion on the reports (I’ll likely do that in the future). What I do want to do is start, give just an opening glimpse at what I would do if I were in charge of Hollywood Studios’ refreshing, remodeling — whatever you want to call it.

I have a master plan, but this post is just going to cover one area I’d love to see come to a park that is certainly in need of a transformation, and that area is Muppet Studios.

Yes, my plan for Hollywood Studios calls for turning the current Streets of America into a Muppet-themed land, Muppet Studios if you will. The centerpiece of the land will still be Muppet-Vision, a hilarious 3D show that has been one of the park’s best attractions for decades. But the rest of the area currently has nothing to do with the Muppets. That would all change.

What is currently in this area? Well, the answer is not very much. Wall off the entrance to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground and chip slightly away at Lights, Motors, Action, and you’re pretty much left with Muppet-Vision, two restaurants, a few shops and a bunch of winding streets with nothing on them. It’s an area ripe for transformation because it doesn’t really involve closing anything down.

The area would be re-themed to the Muppet Studios, the movie studio where the Muppets create all their hilarious movies and shows. Muppet-Vision is the centerpiece attraction, but a new ride would go a long way toward stealing some of its thunder. I would definitely incorporate the never-built Great Muppet Movie Ride into the new land, themed as a tour of the studio hosted by Kermit the Frog. There would also be a new attraction, a audio-animatronic concert by the Electric Mayhem.

The two restaurants currently in this area would be given Muppet re-theming, as well. The Pizza Planet restaurant would be turned into Muppet Labs, with guests being able to eat among the many inventions of Bunsen E. Honeydew. The second, Mama Melrose’s, will be re-themed to a trendy restaurant operated by the Swedish Chef. Shops will be given loose Muppet themes, as well, and I’d love to bring in one of the Muppet What Not Shops (think Build-A-Bear) currently found elsewhere in the country.

The rest of the building facades — and that’s all they are now, as nothing is behind them — would be re-themed to either offices of some more noteworthy Muppet characters or businesses depicted in the Muppet Show (i.e. Veterinarian’s Hospital or the channel where the Muppet Newsman works).

That’s a whirlwind overview of my concept for this land. Make no mistake, though, the name of the game here is incredible detail. It’s always what makes Disney parks stand out from the rest, and it’s something that lends itself perfectly to the Muppets given the immense amount you can find in the Muppet Show. I’ll be revisiting this land often throughout the early stages of this blog (as it’s one I’ve spent a good deal of time on), and I’ll be delving into the details I have planned for this most sensational, Muppetational land.